Populism in Europe

Worryingly, nationalistic and xenophobic tendencies are on the increase in Europe. No matter whether you’re in Denmark, the UK, Poland or Germany – populist tendencies and parties work with the simplifications and fear of the future within society. They demonise certain groups and stir up a longing for a homogeneous society in a globalised world. Culture is used as a national delimitation concept instead of an opportunity for participation, exchange within Europe, enrichment through impulses from different social groups and an artistic perspective.

How should cultural institutions behave in this situation, and how can they point the way? Are there effective artistic positions in individual countries or international coalitions that could help to counter these developments? What effect does this pressure have on state-sponsored cultural institutions and independent scenes? Panel members for this discussion are Lenka Kukurova (Slovakia), free-lance curator; Ruth Leiserowitz (Poland), German Historical Institute Warsaw; Carsten Jensen (Denmark), author/journalist, and Johannes Ebert (Munich), General Secretary of the Goethe-Institut; chaired by: Vladimir Balzer (Berlin), journalist and presenter for Deutschlandfunk and MDR.